Feeling empty or emotionally detached. Losing drive and motivation in parts of your life, like in relationships or work / study. Loss of appetite. Physical illness and symptoms, like dizziness, chest pain, headaches or gastrointestinal pain.
Burnout tends to come with a feeling of complete exhaustion that doesn't dissipate with normal recovery tactics like time off, a work-free weekend or a vacation. Signs of burnout include: Excessive use of substances, including alcohol, drugs and prescription drugs. Physical and mental overwhelm and fatigue.
1 Burnout symptoms include feeling exhausted, empty, and unable to cope with daily life. If left unaddressed, your burnout may even make it difficult to function.
How Long Does Burnout Last? It takes an average time of three months to a year to recover from burnout. How long your burnout lasts will depend on your level of emotional exhaustion and physical fatigue, as well as if you experience any relapses or periods of stagnant recovery.
Burnout recovery may take as long as three years: A study of coping: Successful recovery from severe burnout and other reactions to severe work-related stress.
Even though the term burnout makes it sound like it's a permanent condition, it's reversible when the necessary changes are made and stress management is prioritized. Consider the following methods and changes to reverse your burnout and feel like yourself again.
Younger men, and women aged between 20-35 and 55 years and over are particularly susceptible and should be targeted for programmes to reduce risk of burnout.
People don't burn out because they're weak. They burn out because they overdo it and live with stress for so long that their bodies take over in defense. But by the time the body takes over, it's usually too late. Even after making professional and personal changes, the effects of burnout might linger for a lifetime.
Common causes of burnout include: lack of adequate social support; taking on more than one can handle at work, school, or interpersonally with family and friends; and poor self-care. Burnout is a serious matter.
Burnout levels are higher among female K-12 workers than their male counterparts; however, this is consistent with all workers nationally. Still, male K-12 workers are significantly more burned out than their male peers working in other industries (38% vs. 26%, respectively).
Physiological Recovery
It might sound silly, but getting enough sleep is the most important step. The research is very clear: seven to eight hours of sleep reverses emotional exhaustion and increases energy levels. Track how much sleep you get on average, and make a plan to increase it to the proper amount.
The brains of people who are chronically burnt-out show similar damage as people who have experienced trauma. Burnout reduces the connectivity between different parts of the brain which can lead to decreased creativity, working memory and problem solving skills.
Burnout can be accompanied by physical symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and sleeping difficulties. It is important to recognize and treat burnout early, and with psychological counseling and support, most people begin to feel better and recover quickly.
Know When You Really Need to Get Away
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to make the best of job burnout, you really just need time off. “If you're at the point where you are sacrificing your health for work, that is a sign. That never gets better on its own,” Hendriksen says.
Talking to your boss about burnout can benefit your well-being. It is a way to open the door to constructive conversations that can help get you back on track and feel better about work. With support, this may improve your job gratification and overall performance.
Quiet quitting refers to doing the minimum requirements of one's job and putting in no more time, effort, or enthusiasm than absolutely necessary. As such, it is something of a misnomer, since the worker doesn't actually leave their position and continues to collect a salary.
Others may note an odd change in behavior when this type reaches burnout as they can start to become increasingly irritable, cynical, and uncooperative.
“Burnout” is now classified as a mental illness caused by unmanaged stress at work. Many lifestyle factors can be adjusted to help reduce the effects of Burnout such as changing diet, effective supplementation and self-care protocols.